


Ultimate Power

by Cyriae



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Explicit Language, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2019-08-02 09:29:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16302590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cyriae/pseuds/Cyriae
Summary: My take on an AU where Greed succeeds in stealing the power from Father during the Promised Day, and how the following battle might go.





	Ultimate Power

“The true center is Here.”

Greed cursed loudly. Stupid old man had got lucky, predicting he’d make his move and making a decoy transmutation circle center. He sprinted towards where Father had the five sacrifices held in place with his weird tentacles; no way he was going to let the old bastard get his hands on the power to rule the world on a technicality. It was Greed’s power, after all.

 _You’re not going to make it._ Ling’s voice was a little too tense to be his usual teasing banter.

**_Don’t sweat it kid, I got this-_ **

He was interrupted by the sudden surge of power arcing between the sacrifices’ truth gates, filling the air with crackling energy and stopping him in his tracks. He put up his arms to shield his face, barely catching Father say something about “opening the planet’s gate.” There, that was it, that’s where the power would be, he just needed to get over there, through the massive amounts of alchemical energy, easy-peasy, no problem, that totally wasn’t going to rip his body apart, he just needed to…

He backed up a few feet, better get a running start, and prepared to - _Think using your ultimate shield might make this easier and all?_

**_Naw don’t worry this’ll be fi- gnnnncckkkkk_ **

Maybe charging headfirst into the freaky lightning wasn’t the best plan, he should have gotten more speed first. He doggedly continued stepping forward, feeling his flesh burn and reconstruct under the energy’s onslaught. _Greeeed, shield-!_

 ** _It’s fine, I said I got this-_ ** He bared his teeth as he forced his way forward, limbs alternately ripped to the bone and reforming muscles and skin. Father didn’t seem to be paying him any attention, all his eyes trained gleefully upwards, wait, was he moving? He seemed to be raising himself up upward off the center, tendrils holding the sacrifices growing thinner, this was his chance! Greed lunged forward, shielding both his arms to Ling’s grumbling of _About Time_ , and threw himself at Father, tearing through his amorphous body with his shielded claws to land directly in the center of the circle of sacrifices.

Father’s multitudinous eyes widened in shock. Greed’s face split in a feral grin; looked like he’d managed to take the old man by surprise after all. He barely had time to notice he’d sheared through the tendril holding the Alphonse kid before the energy from the repelling gates imploded, Father’s control shattered as the monumental energy rebounded through the chamber.

Greed dropped to the ground, digging in his claws to hold his position as -Yes! He could feel the power start to flow into him, Father’s form scattered in chunks around the chamber, the sacrifices each thrown halfway across the room. This was Greed’s show now. He attempted to stand, able only to rise to his knees as what felt like limitless power surged through his being. Was this the power of God? The swelling power reached a crescendo, lighting his visage with an expression of pure avarice. And then, all at once, it was over, the energy in the chamber quenched. He got to his feet, shaking his head to banish the ringing in his ears, holding his hands in front of his face as if they were new limbs, marveling at the newfound power he could feel pulsing within.

He could hardly believe it! He'd done it, he'd grabbed control, really pulled one over on his old man, and now he could do it. He could take over the world, just like he'd always wanted! He threw back his head, his uncontrollable laughter echoing around the fractured chamber. He could feel the power pounding through his body, his being, could hear it in his mind... but something seemed off, in the noise, what was that noise? It sounded like... His laughter started to falter and he realized he couldn't feel Ling anymore. What happened, the kid should be cheering for him, where did he go?

He focused his attention inward. **_Hey kid, I did it! Where-_** Now that he was looking at his internal soulscape, something did seem Very off. The normal tumultuous swirling had increased a thousand-fold, a maelstrom beyond what he thought possible. A maelstrom, he realized, laughter dying in his throat, made entirely of souls. No no wait no No NO NONONO this was supposed to be the power of God, pulled from the gate, not the lives of millions of people! He raised a trembling hand to clutch his head, expression twisting as horror gripped him. What happened what went wrong was he wrong no no these were their souls their screaming souls where was the brat the prince where was he **_Hey Kid answer me where are you! Stop hiding and come back, Brat!_**

"Hey Ling!" He finally yelled aloud, shaking knees giving way as he mentally forced his way through the unrelenting hoard of uncountable souls desperately trying to find the one. He wasn't going to lose him, he couldn't lose him-

~~~

Ling couldn't believe Greed had actually managed to hijack father’s ritual with a plan that amounted to "take his parking place," but the amazement and congratulatory words had been instantly drowned out in the sudden and overwhelming influx of unbelievable _Noise_ into his mindscape. When he came to himself he couldn't feel his body, couldn't see Greed, only the swarms and swarms of... Souls? Ling felt his blood (figuratively) run cold as he recognized just what the "power" was. His mind went unbidden to the accusations Ed had thrown at Envy, that the dwarf in the flask had used the souls of an entire country to make himself a philosopher's stone. And it appeared that had been his plan once more. And now Ling was literally in the middle of it, struggling to keep his sanity, his soul, his mind, intact. He didn’t think anything could be _worse_ than the time Greed staged a hostile takeover of his body, but the souls buffeting him now were _unending_.

And the horror grew, this was an entire country, possibly everyone he’d met since coming here- _wait._ _What about Lan Fan?!?_ His sudden surge of panic was enough to blow the nearby souls away, and into the breathing room he summoned as much of his “voice” as he could. “Lan Fan! Can you hear me! Are you there!” He tried to listen for a response as the tide of souls threatened to pull him under again, tried to listen over the millions and _millions_ of voices screaming crying pleading _Mommy! Dad-  Please help -I can’t see I can’t see I can’t- Help me! -Mother! Please- I don’t want to die please I don’t want to die-_

It was so, so much worse than the vague and broken murmurings of the ancient Xerxian souls, so much louder, and now, he could _understand_ them. “Lan Fan! Where are you! Lan Fan! Please has anyone seen her please! Lan Fan! LAN FAN!” His cries fell empty into the seething mass; he felt himself losing his grip, he couldn’t lose her, not her too, he just lost Fu he couldn’t do that again, not again…

_-Please- why is this happening -help me- mom please -please- pain -why pleasehelpwherehelpIdon’twantpleasewanttodiepleasepleasewhereIcan’t- Ling- please_

Was that…? Ling twisted around, scanning the unyielding wall of souls filling his vision and tearing at his self.

_pleasepleasehelpIcan’tfeelplease- Ling -helpwherefatherpleasedon’twantplease- LING -pleasehelpplease_

“Lan Fan is that you? Where are you? I’m over here!”” Ling struggled to keep his position in the blasting current.

_Pleaseplease- LING -helppleaseplease- **LING!**_

Greed’s face broke through the wall, jamming his way between the encroaching souls. Ling felt weak with relief; at least he wasn’t alone, and maybe Lan Fan made it to the center, maybe she was ok, maybe she wasn’t in this hellish torture, torture he had expected Greed to be able to help with, but it seemed he too was barely holding his own against the tide. Ling felt a chill; Greed’s normally enormous mental presence felt so… small, his face seemed barely bigger than Ling’s own mental projection. “Greed! Greed these are the Amestrians! You need to let them go! You can’t keep them!” Ling didn’t think Greed would need much convincing, the homunculus’s eyes were wide with the most fearful expression he’d ever seen him wear.

**_I- I can’t- I don’t know how- I can’t let them out-_ **

Well shit. This was the most emotionally compromised Ling had _ever_ seen Greed, and that included the time the homunculus had inadvertently killed one of the only people on Earth who’d cared about him. Ling felt himself slipping back into the souls. “Hey Greed, buddy, a little hand here? I can’t stay on the surface-“ Ling had gotten good at reading the minor changes in Greed’s mask-like face that signified his expressions, but he had little precedence for the for the clear and utter _terror_ he could see now.

 ** _I can’t, I can’t hold…_** Greed looked wildly around at the ocean of souls, before seeming to come to a conclusion. **_Here, hold on-_**

Ling was suddenly aware of his body again, could feel his own heaving breaths, the hard floor under his knees, the immense _pressure_ of the fifty million souls contained in his body, the yelling and screaming- was that his own voice? -and then the _pain_ as something ripped through his left side, his arm, his leg, his face.

He lurched sideways, Father’s enraged voice finally coming through his daze: “PRIDE! HOLD HIM!” The humanoid mass of eyes was barely putting in the effort to sound human, his savage voice cutting through the air. Shitshitshit he couldn’t move his arm, could he stand? How did healing work agai-

 ** _Can’t heal._** Greed’s voice, well beyond panicked, came in response to Ling’s thoughts.

“Why not?” Ling croaked in response, rolling feebly to almost but not quite dodge Pride’s next spears, taking a gash across his shoulder.

**_The souls…_ **

And Ling understood, healing used souls, and there was no way to control Which souls got used, the old Xerxian shadows or the nearly-alive Amestrian masses. “What… about… shield?” Ling struggled out through gritted teeth, unable to muster the focus or energy to separate his thoughts and speech. He could hear more shouting, _human_ voices, Ed and his father and his teacher and others. And then the knowledge was somehow his own, using the shield, the transmutation of skin to carbon armor, also consumed souls. Ling’s mind was pounding, and the unending screams of a country reaped from its stem did not help. He’d been in too many fights for his life to count, he could keep a cool head in the face of death, but when it wasn’t his life, but millions of others?

He saw Pride’s next attack coming, but his sluggish limbs wouldn’t respond, he braced for what may be unendurable pain… Which did not come. Through a haze he saw people in front of him, Ed, Al, their father, was it Hohenheim? They’d, somehow, repelled Pride’s attacks and Father’s spears of transmuted… whatever freaky thing he was doing… Was there also that little Xingese girl? “Hey… h…” Ling tried to gain his feet, but the pain and shaking and pounding held him down. He then felt Greed come forward, taking some control without also pushing him aside, allowing Ling to keep a secure hold to avoid slipping into oblivion in the maelstrom. He felt his mouth move, heard it speak in Greed’s voice, a desperate, quiet plea; “You… alchemists… you can fix this, right?”

Ling wasn’t sure anyone had heard Greed’s supplication, but Hohenheim turned and smiled, far, far too kindly. “Do not worry, Greed, they will be fine.”

~~~

Greed had indeed struggled to hold onto himself under the crushing hoards of souls, his mounting panic failing to help. Where was the brat, where had he gone, how far down had he fallen, and who else was _in here_ now, Heinkel? Darius? Ed’s friends? Or were they family, the people from Resembool? Were they crying heedlessly past him even now? Would he know? Those people, they were _his_ people, and if you’d asked him yesterday, perhaps ten minutes ago, if possessing someone’s soul was the same, counted the same as possessing them as a whole person, he might’ve said yes, of course, what a silly question, they were his either way so why did it matter? But now, the only thing he knew was that he. Did. Not. Want. _This._

He tried to hold onto himself, could feel his own philosopher’s stone becoming mixed up into the teeming hoard, his own souls pale and faint in comparison to the new, fresh, _alive_ souls pulsing through him, oh god they were alive, they still had their thoughts and feeling he could _feel_ them, couldn’t escape, his old souls had been long dead by the time he’d gotten them, this was so _different,_ how did he stop it, how could he stop it?

He tried letting his grip loose, tried to give the souls _back,_ first time he tried doing anything like that in his life -what a joke- but it was no good, he could just feel them start to rip at his own soul, at his body, at Ling’s body, if he let them go, would Ling survive? Would his mind be torn to shreds by the unending flood? Had that already happened? He tightened his grip again, trying to hold onto some semblance of control, was it even helping? By trying to hold on was he going to lose everything? Again? On the edge of his awareness he could hear voices, raised in emotion, but so, so inconsequential to the multitudes screaming behind his eyes.

And where was Ling, where had- was that? _Yes_ , he could faintly hear his voice, screaming for someone in the vortex, hold oh hold on _there_. His urgency parted a narrow path through the souls until he finally reached Ling, who was still floundering under the weight of fifty million invading consciousnesses, he needed to help, how could he? He couldn’t hold back the hoards, couldn’t keep Ling afloat, he wasn’t… strong enough… no he couldn’t lose him he couldn’t, how…

Maybe… Pulling on his connection to the prince’s body, he relinquished control while shoving Ling’s soul back into the driver’s seat. He felt a wash of relief when it looked like it worked, that Ling’s connection to his body kept him out of the endless souls. Now what was he going to do, what could he-

He felt the pain rip through his side, damn it, it looked like Pride had gotten himself together. Greed felt Ling start to reach for his regenerative power but had the horrid realization of what using that power would mean. He couldn’t differentiate between his old souls and the new and alive souls he couldn’t, he couldn’t use these new ones they would die they were still alive he couldn’t… They couldn’t even shield, he watched in helpless panic as Pride’s attacks reduced Ling’s body closer to the edge of death- all this power and this was the most powerless he’d ever been. Unbidden memories of sewer tunnels and Wrath’s swords flashing filled his mind, no, not again, he was going to lose everything _again-_

And then the humans stood between him and his attackers, holding off the attacks somehow, but even if they could defeat Father, what about these souls? Could they help him, help _them?_ Was he going to be responsible for the destruction of an entire country? He couldn’t own something that was destroyed, something that was dead… Maybe, maybe the alchemists would know what to do, the Elrics, their father, who looked like his own but not, maybe they could help-

He pushed himself forward to where Ling was in control, careful not to displace the prince’s soul back into the concentrated population of Amestris. Ling, for his part, didn’t resist as Greed spoke with his mouth, asking for help for what might have been the first time in his life. He blinked at Hohenheim’s response, how could he possibly say that, how was-?

The dwarf’s laughter rolled around the chamber. "'They'll be fine,' you pitiful humans think you've won because my idiot son inexplicably managed to steal my souls, you are no barrier at all for me to retrieve them." The mass of eyes seemed to be regaining their composure and control. He whipped his elongated tendrils through the air, again smashing through the hasty alchemical barriers grown to block him, and ensnared the struggling sacrifices once more. Approaching Greedling trembling in pain on the floor, he grinned, seeming to savor the moment before plunging an appendage into the prone boys' chest and lifting them bodily into the air. The dwarf's laughter nearly drowned out the screams as he gleefully began wrenching the souls out of Greed. "Once I have these back, it will be no trouble at all to reopen your gates and finish what I started, before being so rudely interrupted."

Oh good, there was that unendurable agony Ling'd been worried about. Greed struggled desperately to hold tighter to the souls, his souls, no, yes, maybe, for sure not Father's souls, but it was no good- he could barely hold onto himself let alone 50 million other people, at least Ling was holding onto his body, he shouldn't get sucked in. He could feel the countless lives being absorbed by Father, lives he failed to give back, failed to hold onto, that he'd lost… Part of him wondered if this is what despair felt like.

**_I’m sorry…_ **

“You’ll never keep them,” Hohenheim’s strained voice reached Greed’s bleeding ears. The blond man grunted as Father pressed him into the floor.

“You are just as stupid as when I first met you, Hohenheim. These souls will be mine, and then I will call down god from the heavens. And you. _Can’t. Stop. Me_.” With each word the dwarf crushed Hohenheim harder into the stone.

Greed could feel himself slipping further and further, barely holding on to Ling and his body. Through the haze of pain clouding both of their visions, he could barely make out that, inexplicably, Hohenheim’s expression remained determined. Why? Hadn’t they lost? What could any of them possibly do to resist Father now.

“I already have everything I need to stop you, my friend in the flask.” Hohenheim’s voice was deadly calm despite his struggles to get the words out. His eyes met Greed’s, and he continued, as reassuring as he could, “Just hold on a little longer, it will be fine.”

The dwarf scoffed, voice dripping with scorn, “Oh please, there is nothing on Earth you could-“ He broke off, seeming troubled by something.

Hohenheim smiled. “You feel it now, don’t you? Their life? Their heartbeat?”

And Greed could feel it too, the pulsing of the souls still in his possession, growing stronger and stronger despite their dwindling numbers, numbers that were still so vast, after this long Father couldn’t even take half, and now he could feel the struggles of their life force increasing exponentially. Hohenheim was still speaking, but Greed could no longer hear over the overwhelming pounding of millions of hearts beating in unison.  What was this, what was going on now, is this what Hohenheim was talking about, what was happeni- _Greed!_ Ling’s voice cut through his panic. _Greed, I think they’re calling their bodies, I think they’re going back-_

And then the flood broke, his grip completely shattered by a bolt of alchemical energy from the heavens. The souls roared out of him in a torrent far outstripping Father’s paltry siphon, threatening to tear him and his body apart. _Greed! Hang on!_ Greed could see Ling reaching out a hand, offering him a place at his body’s helm, giving him something to hold onto. All they could do was buckle down to weather the storm, and then- it was over.

It wasn’t silent by any means, it never was, but the unendurable noise was gone, diminished to the normal level of much quieter torment from the Xerxian souls. They were facing the sky, the dim light of the eclipse visible now through a massive hole the souls had evidently punched through the layers of rock. They lay in quiet shock until their reverie was broken by Father’s screams of inhuman rage.

“HOHENHEIIIMMMMMM” He was barely bothering to look humanoid, sending jagged tentacles not unlike Pride’s attacks towards the now-freed sacrifices scrambling to their feet. The alchemists, with the exception of the blind one just sort of scooting backwards, launched a defensive in near unison.

“What is this, my little friend? And here I thought you had no more wrath left in you,” Hohenheim taunted.

Greed chuckled weakly, it looked like it was Father after all who lost what he had been reaching for. His chuckles turned to bloody coughs; oh right, he’d been busy bleeding out. He unsuppressed his healing, finally allowing the regenerative alchemy to repair his body, the Amestrian souls safe and far away. All those souls… All that power… He’d had it at his fingertips, the power he’d always wanted, his goal, what he’d been aiming for for centuries, and when he’d finally gotten it, what had he done? Searched desperately for a way to give it up. Why, why hadn’t he wanted it? What else was there, if he didn’t want that?

He suddenly felt his body roll to its feet, dodging out of the way of a deflected alchemical attack. “Hey Greed, sorry to interrupt, but we’re kind of still in the middle of a battle!” Ling crouched in a ready position, surveying the field; he should probably get over behind Hohenheim, it looked like he was blocking most of the dwarf’s attacks. It was probably only a matter of time before Father turned his attention back to his traitorous son. He could feel Greed recede, making no effort to take control. “Hey c’mon, how about that shield!” No response. Fine, Ling would just rely on his speed, and it’s not like Greed ever used the shield anyway. He spent a few seconds trying to activate it on memory from the time Greed had given it to him to thrash the Central troops, but seemed to be missing some part of the knowledge. “Tch.” He circled around the back of the room to come out behind where the five former sacrifices and- was that girl the Chang princess? He wasn’t imagining things, right?

He took up a position next to Colonel Mustang, thinking he could help him dodge if need be. “Hey Ed, how about a sword?” He called over to his friend protecting Hohenheim’s flank from Pride.

“Ling! Is that you? Guh!” He narrowly dodged a shadowy spear before sending a wave of his own metal ones back at Pride. “Here!” Swiftly clapping his hands together again he drew a sword from the ground and tossed it over to Ling.

“Thanks!” Ling deftly caught it, making an effort to ignore the unnecessarily jagged edge and skull pommel; clearly Ed’s taste hadn’t improved since their time in Gluttony’s stomach, but at least he had a weapon now.

Through the booms and crackling of alchemy he could hear Hohenheim and the dwarf’s shouting match. “-know you can’t keep this up forever, my tiny friend! I can tell your current form was not meant to be a permanent vessel. What is your plan now, that you have reached too far and fallen short?”

When the Father guy spoke again, his voice seemed to rumble through the walls. “I will simply try again. As long as I have the souls for it I can maintain this form, and I will harvest each and every soul again, in person if I must. I will personally dig a new transmutation circle through the Earth, and I will be ready for the next eclipse. Don’t worry, Van Hohenheim, I am not defeated yet. But you, and your alchemy, is less than necessary now.” Ling felt something in the Earth’s energy twist, followed by Ed, Al, and their teacher cursing. What had… Oh right, Father must have cut off the country’s alchemy again.

Well crap, now they only had two alchemists against two immortal monsters, not the greatest odds. He readied his sword, only to immediately lunge out of the way of one of the dwarf’s grotesquely elongated arms. “And Greed, my disobedient son, be good to your father and return to me your souls,” the dwarf’s voice mocked.

SHIT. “Greed we have a problem, get out here and give me the shield!” Ling was not keen to have any more arms stab through his chest today. He sprinted around the edge of the room, dodging off the walls and fallen chunks of ceiling to avoid Father’s relentless attacks. At least it looked like he was focusing on Ling rather than the other group. “GREED!” Still no response, what was he doing, whatever his personal crisis _it couldn’t be more important than DYING!_ Ling finally felt Greed stir, _about time, now get out here and help-_ He’d been pivoting off a pipe when something stabbed through his chest from behind. _Fuck!_ Where had that come from, the wall-!

Father’s grinning form materialized from the ground in front of him. “My son is too cowardly to face me it seems, leaving a tiny human as his shield, how pitiful.”

Ling abruptly felt the siphoning pressure return, seeming all the stronger now that there was less between his own soul and the dwarf’s grasp. He could hear his friends, screaming his and Greed’s names, see their futile attempts to reach him through Pride’s slashing tendrils. _Greed!_ Ling turned inward to see him struggling against the flow of souls into Father. He reached out to grab Greed’s face best he could, planting himself on the connection to his body to hold fast against the suction.

**_Let me go, he’s too strong, you’ll only get pulled in too!_ **

It seemed Greed was being ungrateful, how typical. _No you idiot, I still need you, remember? We’re going to rule Xing!_

 ** _You’ll find another philosopher’s stone, you don’t need me._** Greed didn’t have any of his usual belligerence, simply calling forlornly to Ling to give him up. **_This isn’t a battle you can win, just let me go, live to fight another day._**

 _Shut up, stop being stupid! Fight him, damnit! Don’t let him win! Like hell I’m letting you go, work with me here!_ Ling was this close to punching Greed in his stupid face for just laying down for Father like this.

**_Ling-_ **

_NOT HAPPENING, SHUT UP AND-_

Ling felt the Earth’s energy shift again, and evidently Father did too, lessening his pull on their souls as he turned his attention elsewhere. Ling could vaguely here a voice scream “NOW!” before spears of metal and stone slammed into the dwarf, severing his hold on Ling and halting the drain of souls. Huh, looks like the alchemy turned back on. Through the hole in the roof he could see the glint of the sun shifting from behind the moon.

Ling caught himself as Father’s hold broke, moving away to zip through the alchemical attacks the others were providing for cover. He stumbled slightly before remembering _oh right_ there was a hole through his lungs and yanked on Greed’s regenerative powers to close it. The very noticeable dent this made in the souls they still had almost made him stumble again. _Shit, Greed, that bastard took most of your souls, we don’t have many lives left here, buddy._ He half felt, half saw one of the dwarf’s limbs jabbing at him from a pipe, how was he doing that?

Flipping around a piece of debris, he resumed his interrupted conversation. _C’mon Greed, let’s have that shield, you can take control, I don’t care, but that guy gets us again, or Pride stabs us a few more times and we’re toast._ Was he even listening? Ling had heard his excuses before, the shield was “too ugly,” or made things “too easy,” neither of which seemed compelling reasons when life and death were on the line. He wasn’t even sure those were the _real_ reasons Greed was so reluctant to use something so useful, but if he wanted to continue existing he had better get over whatever it was. He felt Greed’s presence grow stronger; about time, hopefully he was done moping for the moment.

Greed seemed to be taking stock of what souls they had left before using Ling’s senses to observe their harrowed flight from Father’s attacks. Although Greed gave no response, Ling could feel the still incredibly odd sensation of his skin turning to hardened carbon climbing his arms. _Excellent, thank you Greed. Hey, hey no-_ He started protesting when he felt the shield stop at his shoulders. _Greed, we need All of it._ He narrowly dodged one of Pride’s shadow spears aimed at his head. _And I mean ALL of it!_ He knew Greed could see his reasoning, his simple, common sense logic that if they could not block Pride and Father’s attacks, they would DIE, because Ling could see Greed’s. Maybe because there was far less noise now, or that they weren’t fighting against each other anymore, but Ling could see what Greed was thinking, his fear, his nebulous anxiety that if people _saw_ him in his shield, they would be afraid, they would be scared off-

 _Trust me, Greed. This won’t make you the biggest monster in the room by a very long shot._ Behind them the dwarf looked more like a pulsating lump than anything that could be called human, and on their flank Pride’s child-like form was sprouting a dark mass of eyes and teeth from half his face. Greed actually nodded their physical head in resignation, and Ling felt the shield resume its movement over his skin. Aware of a sudden danger, he stopped and braced his arms over his head. “Greed faster-!”

Father launched massive onslaught, shooting out from the walls, seeming intent on simply crushing his rebellious son rather than taking any more of his souls. The ground cracked under the impact, shattering into jagged shards before the nearby alchemists could rebuff the attacks, their cries lost in the din.

In a desperate push a few of the defenders sent out massive waves of stone, shoving back the dwarf’s pummeling tentacles from the depression now pounded into the earth. In the center of the crater, a figure stood up, teeth now permanently bared in challenge, untouched in the rubble. The light glinted off their darkened eyes as they easily deflected Pride’s follow-up attack, slashing the spike to dust with their claws.

Ling chuckled as they made a final leap to land behind the defensive line. “See, this is what I’m talking about.”

“Yeah nice you made it! Hey Ling, is that still you!?” Ed greeted the newcomer, sending a wave of jagged weaponry into the dwarf’s reaching tendrils.

“Yep! We’re sharing!” Ling ignored Greed’s reflexive grumbles objecting to his language and returned Al’s wave.

Ed glanced back at Ling’s shielded visage. “Man it’s super weird hearing your voice coming out of that face. You want another sword?” Ling had dropped the previous one sometime around getting stabbed in the back.

Ling scrunched his eyes and made his stiff facial muscles smile as wide as he could, mimicking his usual expression. “Is this better? And yes please, a sword would be lovely! Do you think you could make it less-“

Ed tossed an even more ornate blade back at him, laughing appreciatively at Ling’s attempt to get his fanged mouth to look smiley. “Yeah that’s a little better,” he called back, blocking another of Pride’s onslaughts.

- _tasteless,_ Ling finished silently, nabbing the sword from the air. Oh well, at least with his hands like this he physically couldn’t stab himself on the barbed wire guard. He could hear the dwarf getting his monologue on again, oh oops sounded like he was talking about him, or at least Greed, something about betraying family and throwing in with weakling humans yadda yadda. Anyway, this guy was somehow in the walls, they should do something about that.  

_Hey Greed, you know anything about this whole “Father can impale people from the wall” situation?_

**_…No not really._ **

_Man they really do never talk about anything around you huh._ No comeback from Greed to that, he really hadn’t bounced back from his moping. Sure he was probably questioning his entire existence right now, but c’mon, existential crises don’t have to stop you from witty banter!

“Hey alchemists,” Ling tried to get the group’s attention over the ruckus, “should we try attacking the walls? I’m sensing a lot of energy underneath.”

"Yes, that’s it!” Hohenheim’s voice was strained from holding off Father and Pride’s combined attacks. “His new container, he must have made it into the pipes! Destroy as much as you can, flush him out!”

Immediately Ed and Al’s teacher redirected her alchemy, shooting massive bladed crossbow bolts into the pipes, making short work of a wide swath of ceiling. Father was screaming in rage again, good, looked like it was working. Ling parried Pride’s attack at their now-exposed flank, giving the woman time to punch holes in nearly every pipe in the room. Damn, she worked quick.

More of Father’s goopy body poured from the holes, consolidating in a massive pile in the center of the room. That was a lot more goo than Ling was expecting. The pulsating lump was yelling again, but Ling was too busy slicing through Pride’s vindictive spears to care.

“Flame Alchemist!” Hohenheim suddenly addressed the colonel, hunched over in the middle of the group. “Can you use your alchemy?”

Mustang turned his face in Hohenheim’s direction. “Yes, I… I think so. I can’t… I can’t aim, though.”

“That’s alright, this is a big target! We need to use up his souls, his form will decay if he’s weak enough!”

“Where should I aim? If I misfire-“

“Just aim straight ahead! Light up everything more than twenty paces out,” Ed’s teacher roared.

Mustang started at her voice, then set his face in determination. “Understood. Here goes nothing.” He clapped his hands together- Ling easily recognized the pose from Ed and Al -and snapped his fingers, a spark igniting from his bloody glove.

The only time Ling had seen the Flame Colonel use his famed alchemy was against Gluttony, to very little success. But this lived up to the hype. The air in front of them blossomed into a raging inferno, slamming against Pride and the dwarf in a ball of light and heat, the roar drowning out Father’s screams of rage from where he was still trying to gather himself.

“Again,” Hohenheim yelled, and Mustang obliged, sending another thunderous explosion into the homunculi.

The display seemed to partially bring Greed out of his funk. “Now that’s power,” he whistled through his teeth.

Ling barely had time to ponder how weird trading off facial expressions was before a small form hurtled out of the smoke, Pride’s shadows already jabbing towards the colonel. Ling shoved Greed aside to yell “duck, Mustang,” lunging in front to take the brunt of Pride’s slashing blows _. Man it sure was nice not having to worry about getting stabbed through the face,_ he thought pointedly at Greed.

“Greed, you pathetic disgrace, not only do you betray our father but you continue to let a _human_ control your vessel. Have you no shame left?” Pride’s savage voice echoed over the cursing of the rest of the party. The little twerp wasn’t looking too good, his face was more shadows than skin and one of his vessel’s arms was completely missing, shadows spilling directly from the socket.

Greed pushed his way to the forefront of their minds again. “What’s that? Sorry bro I can’t hear you, sounds like you’re breaking up!” He gleefully mocked his eldest sibling, nothing like a round of family insults to get Greed back into high spirits.

Apparently Pride couldn’t think of a good comeback, because he just screamed in response. He focused all his tendrils on his rebellious brother, opting to ensnare with gripping hands rather than stab. “You-“

“Greedling! Eyes!” Al’s voice came in warning.

“Huh?” Greed started turning head to look, but Ling, understanding Al’s intent, wrenched their eyes shut. With their impenetrable eyelids the following flash of light barely came through, meaning when they opened their eyes again their vision was unaltered. This allowed Greed to immediately start pummeling the somewhat less childlike form stumbling backwards in the wake of Al’s flashbang grenade. Greed had some stuff to think about, sure, but the more important thing here was beating the ever-loving shit out of his second-least-favorite sibling.

“Stay away from my stuff,” he growled, punctuating each word with claw swipe or sword whack. He heard Ling object to him using their sword as a bludgeoning tool, and a moment later felt him alter the swinging trajectory so it actually slashed through some of Pride’s resurging shadows. It was holding up really well, Greed wondered if Ed had used carbon fiber technology like that time with his automail. He ceded control of his sword arm to Ling, and together they set about trying to further break apart Pride’s crumbling vessel.

They got a few good slashes and stabs in before they had to jump back, warnings from their allies ringing in their ears, barely avoiding Father’s newest alchemical onslaught. Damn, looked like the bastard was back on his… feet? Greed didn’t know what Ling meant by “eldritch,” but he understood what “abomination” meant just fine, and heartily agreed that was an accurate descriptor for Father’s current form.

“Pride, my son, come here. I need you.”

Back in the center of the defending alchemists, Greed felt himself chill to the bone. Those words, that tone… Despite all that had happened, he still had the impulse to call a warning to his brother. “Pride, don’t…”

Pride gave a look of utmost contempt from what remained of his face and turned to scramble towards the dwarf. “Unlike you, Greed, I honor my father,” he replied, compounded voice dripping with venom.

“I am glad to hear you say that, my eldest son.”

Greed wasn’t sure how Father was speaking, since he couldn’t see anything that looked like a mouth, but that didn’t stop the warning sirens in his head from getting louder.

“Pride, I must spend much to survive in this form, and these insects have wasted my energy. My son, I will need your souls.”

Greed felt his legs begin to tremble violently, nearly sinking to his knees before Ling caught and steadied them. He didn’t know he could feel this nauseous.

Pride paused, hesitating briefly partway across the room. Greed recalled Pride’s words from the previous night, after he had consumed Gluttony, how such things didn’t matter, they were all the same in the end anyway. Well they mattered a whole lot to Greed, but did Pride really feel that way? Did he believe they were tools to their father first, and people second, if at all?

Evidently so, as after what felt like an eternity he resumed his journey towards his father. Stopping in front of the waiting mound, he bowed his head submissively. “Of course, Father.”

Greed turned away, but not before he saw a sickening squirm of movement as the dwarf’s pulsating form converged on Pride’s. And there was nothing he could do to block the _noises,_ (was he imagining things, or did he hear a scream), or the memories, memories he didn’t realize he _had,_ memories of burning agony, sure, but _after_ , his self dissolving into oblivion, absorbed back into Father’s conglomerate of souls and being, thoughts and will utterly gone. And that might happen to him again… It was fortunate Ling was holding them upright.

After a moment of stunned silence Ed broke in with righteous indignation. “What kind of father eats his children!?” He also looked like he might throw up.

“Whatever kind of father that son of a bitch is,” Greed growled through clenched teeth.

“My father just has his children occasionally killed, I don’t think there’s any cannibalism involved, though,” Ling piped up, abruptly changing his posture to something incongruently cheerful.

This swap briefly distracted Ed. “That is so weir-“

“I will simply re-make my children later, once I’ve dealt with you worms. Pity Pride didn’t preserve Gluttony’s memories, but it won’t matter.” The dwarf’s voice sounded more consolidated, richer somehow, his form denser, more humanoid. And grinning again.

Greed noticed the little girl stand up from where she’d been kneeling on the ground and ready her knives. “Hey girlie, stay down, keep your little head out of harm’s way,” he gestured for her to keep back.

The girl’s dark eyes flashed and she screwed up her face in indignation. “Don’t tell me what to do, Ling Yao! And for your information-“ She threw her weird daggers upwards so they arced over Father’s renewed attacks “-I’ve been fighting this whole time to keep the ground solid! That monster was trying to burrow underneath us, you know!” She dropped to the ground again to place her hands on what Greed could now see was a transmutation circle with more knives around the edge.

“Hey, _my_ name is _Greed_ -“ He cut off, as the instant Father reached up to swat the knives away the girl activated her own circle, sending a massive bolt of destructive energy through the momentarily complete distant array, amplified by what looked like more knives - _they’re called kunai, Greed-_ she’d somehow managed to place at five points around the edge of the circular room. He could only stand, fanged mouth agape, as lightning shattered the air in searing bolts, completely obscuring Father’s shape behind a wall of unrelenting light.

“Well done, young lady!” Hohenheim looked ecstatic. “Excellent use of the second principle! Just superb!”

Sadly, Father managed to break her circle before vaporizing, sending out horizontal columns of stone to crush the knife-kunai things around the room. He wasn’t smiling anymore, looking like some sort of (lightly smoking) shadow version of Hohenheim with too many eyes.

Greed for his part simply stared at a rare loss for words until Ling stepped in, turning back to the girl with a clawed hand held vertical at his chest and as cheery a smile as he could manage with his current face situation. “Mei Chang, right?” He bowed slightly in greeting. “Thank you for keeping the floor safe! I imagine you are in Amestris to find immortality too, yes?”

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “I don’t know what’s going on with you or your chi, Ling Yao, but I am here to find immortality to save my clan, and you can’t stop me!” On her shoulder, a familiar looking tiny panda mimicked her determined expressions. “And don’t think you’ll be able to rule Xing looking like that!”

“Hey, this isn’t permanen-“

“Hey quit your yappin, he’s getting up!” Ed interrupted the siblings’ squabble, jabbing a finger at the dwarf.

The Elric’s teacher broke off from the circle, joining her hands to ready a transmutation. “Quick, surround him before he can recover!”

“Yes, Master!” Ed and Al replied in unison, taking off to spread out in the opposite direction.

Mei darted after the brothers. “I’ll protect your side, dear Alphonse!” She called out in her shrill voice.

Greed reached out and put a hand on Hohenheim’s shoulder. “Hey pops keep an eye on Blind Guy, wouldja?” He took off after the brothers’ teacher, leaving Hohenheim stuttering some bemused reply. **_Father’s getting weaker, now’s a good a chance as any to show him a little ‘familial affection.’_**

_Careful, Greed, his chi reading is still massive, and now he’s got both Pride and Gluttony back._

**_Relax, Pride couldn’t get through my shield, remember?_** He slid behind some rubble, crouching to wait for an opening as the alchemists bounced around the room firing off attacks ranging from giant stone columns to literal cannons. He zigzagged closer to the center of the room, dodging collateral rubble from Father’s blocks and counterattacks. **_You up for handling the sword again?_** Even though the alchemical attacks didn’t seem to be doing much, maybe a few good stabs would to the trick.

_My my, do mine own ears deceive me, or are you actually asking for assistance?_

Greed could just _feel_ the smugness radiating from Ling. **_Are you going to help or not?_** he growled in response.

By way of answer Ling adjusted their grip on the sword and corrected their balance as Greed began a dash to close the distance between them and the dwarf. _Thought you’d never ask._

They leapt off a chunk of fallen ceiling and swung the sword down at Father’s stationary form, only to be knocked sideways by stone spikes from the floor. They rolled to dodge another wave of spikes as Father turned to face them.

“I can smell your traitorous stench, son of mine. Have you nothing to say to me, your father and creator, to whom you owe everything, and whom you have cost much?”

“I don’t owe you _squat_. If you wanted slaves instead of children, you should’ve stuck with chimeras!” Greed lunged forward again.

Father raised a hand to counter but was forced instead to rebuff a combo from the other alchemists, allowing Greed to get close enough to let Ling make a slice through Father’s shadowy side. The dwarf hissed in displeasure, turning to catch Greed by the throat on his next pass. “I should have left you to die permanently in the lava, for all the ingratitude you have plagued me with.” He bodily threw them against a nearby boulder and made to smite, but instead had to defend against another alchemical assault.

Shaking off his brief daze Greed clawed his way to his feet, circling around again as Ling decided to voice his piece. “Existence is a gift, not an obligation, _bitch!_ ” Greed eloquently finished their statement as they pounced on Father again.

Ling could feel the sword bite home once more, the dwarf’s flesh offering less resistance than human flesh, before a massive shockwave blasted them backwards, sending them tumbling among shattered stones. Ling took full control as he used his superior sense of balance to avoid ending up crushed under flying rocks, ending near the edge of the room again. The dwarf stood in the now-clear center of the room, the other alchemists crouching behind hastily constructed barriers. Unless Ling was mistaken the shadowy homunculus was muttering to himself about something, but in the end it appeared the dwarf had had enough; alchemical energy crackled around him again as he formed a rapidly growing pillar under his feet, disappearing from view up through the hole to the outside.

“Damn! He’s making a run for it!” Hohenheim was running forward. “You saw him talking to himself, he’s got two sins back after being so long without, he thinks he can be above them, but his own pride will let him succumb!”

“What are you talking about?” Ed demanded, flailing an arm at his father.

Hohenheim was already making his own column. “He has his gluttony back! He ignored his pride in order to run away, but his lust for human souls was already bad, now it’s going to be insatiable!”

Ed swore. “Bastard’s going to eat everyone in sight, let’s go!” He clapped his hands together as his brother and teacher followed suit. “Hey Greedling, need a lift?”

Ling was about to answer when he realized Greed had withdrawn, the questions he’d been ignoring imposing themselves again. “Go on ahead, we’ll catch up!” Ling called beck to Ed.

The short alchemist nodded, following his teacher and brother, the former holding Mustang upright and the latter raising upwards with Mei clutched onto his armored leg.

Ling turned inward to where it looked like Greed was doing some self-reflection for possibly the first time in his life. _Hey buddy, how you doing?_

 ** _I… don’t know._** Greed’s mental projection still looked small amongst the milling souls. ** _I thought I’d won, I’d gotten the power I wanted, but then… I tried to let it go, wanted to let it go… If that’s not it, if that power isn’t what I want, then what do I want?_** Ling could feel him unmaking his shield, the carbon changing back to skin in a slow progression, Ling’s ponytail and bangs reappearing in an alchemical fizzle.

Ling had a moment of relief when the transformation barely used a perceptible amount of their very finite souls, and then he took a deep breath to compose himself before answering the voice in his head.

“You don't know what you want? Huh? Is that it? Is that it, Greed, the great authority on wanting? You don't know? You've finally realized that what you thought you wanted isn't really what you want at all? Hmm? And now, are you asking? Are you asking me? Are you asking me what it is you actually want?” Ling started gesturing animatedly at the air. “Because I'll tell you, I'll tell you if you’re sure, you're sure you _really_ want to know, because anyone with half a brain could figure it out, and fortunately I do in fact have that, not sure about you, clearly-“

**_Ling, please-_ **

“Ok then Greed, I'll tell you. You saw everyone banding together to save me, save you, us, whatever, saw them coming to our aid, cheering us when we made it- you want that. You want people to care about you Greed, you want people to like you, you want _Friends_ , Greed!” Ling vaguely realized he was yelling. “You’ve always wanted friends, and I guess it took holding the power of the world in your hands to realize, huh, what do you know, this Doesn't fill that hole in your chest, in your soul, the gap you've had since you were born-“ He jabbed his finger at nothing “-it was still there, wasn't it! All that power, and you still Wanted something, isn't that right Greed?”

Greed was looking away.

Ling knew he was rambling, that this probably could've used some more delicacy, but several months of buried frustrations mixed with recently fighting for his life compromised his ability to care much about _delicacy_. This day was rapidly breaking his previous record for “Most times Stabbed In The Chest,” it was still a ways from “The Most Times Stabbed In General” but it was getting there. Being a Xingese prince was fun. And now he _finally_ had a chance where Greed was listening and not shutting him down two words into the subject, and by whatever deities were out there he wasn't going to let this go to waste.

“Look me in the eyes, Greed! Tell me I'm wrong! You say you don't lie, but you've been lying to yourself this whole damn time! And now! Now you wanna know what I think! Now, after we've both nearly died, after you've pleaded with me to _Let You Die_ , because why? Because you don't understand anything anymore, because how could the answer be so simple? Sometimes it's just like that, Greed! Sometimes the biggest questions have the simplest answers! And now that you _have_ that answer, what are you going to do? Now you answer me, Greed, tell me!”

Greed was silent for so long Ling thought he wasn’t going to answer. But he did speak.

**_But aren't... friends... a human thing?_ **

“ANYONE CAN HAVE FRIENDS YOU IDIOT”

**_Do I... have friends?_ **

“WHAT DO YOU THINK”

Ling caught movement in his periphery and looked upwards to see a familiar head poking out over a ledge several floors up. An equally-familiar voice drifted down. “Young Lord, is that you?”

“Lan Fan!” Ling waved enthusiastically. Seems his yelling had carried a bit. “Hold on, we’ll come to you in a moment!” He answered her in Xingese. He turned back to the sin at hand. Greed was still floating in subdued silence, clearly doing some thinking. Ling resisted the urge to tease him about using his brain for once, instead reaching out his right hand, both mentally and physically. _C’mon buddy, let’s go help our friends._

Greed stared at him for a moment before nodding, making Ling’s other hand clasp the offered one in agreement.

Ling grinned. “There we go!” They vaulted over debris to Ed’s pillar, covered with convenient handholds, their shield again forming up their arms, and began climbing towards the light.

**Author's Note:**

> It's friendship. The ultimate power was friendship all along.  
> Also I based this around my understanding of the sequence of events after Father activated his circle, which are: Father activates the circle, which siphons the souls from everyone in Amestris, after which point Father uses the energy from the sacrifices' gates to open the planet's gate. In this fic I have assumed that, like in Xerxes, harvesting the Amestrian souls didn't require the extra energy from the sacrifices' gates and would proceed as normal even if the sacrifice circle was broken, while the Earth's gate would remain closed. In this way Greed got the souls but not the power of God.


End file.
